It’s been a while since a film has completely taken me by surprise. From its very first trailer, Rise of the Planet of the Apes didn’t interest me at all. It looked weird and frankly, stupid. After seeing some extra footage at San Diego Comic Con, it didn’t look as stupid, but it didn’t seem much more interesting to me. It wasn’t until a couple days ago when my Twitter feed started firing off with everyone’s reactions to the film. I was surprised by how positive they were. Some were claiming it to be the best CGI movie of the summer or the best movie of the year. I couldn’t believe it. Was I missing something? Am I the only one who thought all the promotional material looked sub-par? No, I wasn’t. After speaking with a few others, they too were surprised by the entire positive buzz surrounding the film. My curiosity about Rise of the Planet of the Apes skyrocketed, and when I sat down at the screening last night, I realized I had actually become excited to see this film.
Now, I can say that I thought Rise of the Planet of the Apes was amazing! A wonderful surprise amidst all the mindless summer CGI blockbusters. If you couldn’t figure it out, this film is a prequel to Planet of the Apes. It tells the tale of how a particular chimpanzee began a rebellion against the humankind. Caesar is that chimpanzee, and he was lovingly raised by James Franco’s character, a scientist experimenting antidotes for neurological diseases on apes. Circumstances happen that takes Caesar away from his home, which ignites a fire in him to assemble an army of apes.
James Franco, John Lithgow, Frieda Pinto, Brian Cox and Tom Felton star in this film. But you know what? Who cares about them! This movie is all about the apes, especially Caesar. From the very first moment you meet Caesar, it’s hard not to fall in love with him. Watching him grow up makes you even more attached to him. Andy Serkis play Caesar through performance-capture. Serkis is the king of performance-capture. He’s brilliant at it, and he really portrays Caesar perfectly. I don’t think anyone else could’ve have done as well as him.
The story is very engrossing, much more than I expected. There were not any dull moments; it moves at a great pace. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the summer’s best movies, without a doubt. It proves that a CGI/action film can have a great plot too. I wish 20th Century Fox did a better job of promoting it. Someone needs to show the skeptics, the ones who thought about it the same way as I did, that this is a film to head out to the theater to see. Also, make sure you stay for a minute or two after the credits begin, there’s an important little scene to watch.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters.
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